1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ultrasound quantification system acquiring acoustic image data from anatomic locations distributed in more than two dimensions, and using a segmentation algorithm to provide real-time volume measurements.
2. Description of the Related Art
Information as to a volume of a left ventricle of a heart as a function of time is useful to physicians in evaluating the heart. In particular, the volume at diastole, the volume at systole, the rate of change of the volume and other volume parameters, provide useful information to a physician.
Ultrasound imaging is an approach used to determine the volume of the left ventricle of the heart. The volume is determined from a two-dimensional ultrasound image by determining a cross-sectional area from the ultrasound image and making certain assumptions regarding a shape of the left ventricle.
FIG. 1 is a prior art diagram illustrating an ultrasound quantification system.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a scanner 20 performs ultrasound scanning of a specified region of patient""s body, such as the heart. The scanner 20 includes an ultrasound transducer 10 for transmitting and receiving ultrasound energy. The transducer 10 transmits ultrasound energy into an image region and receives reflected ultrasound energy from organs within the patient""s body.
As well known in the prior art, the transducer may include an array of transducer elements. By appropriately delaying the pulses applied to each transducer element, a focused ultrasound beam is transmitted along a desired scan line. A reflected ultrasound energy from a given point within the patient""s body, is received by the transducer elements at different times. The transducer elements converge the ultrasound energy signals and supply the signals to a beam former. The beam former processes the signals and outputs a signal stream indicative of a focused received beam.
A depth and direction of a focal point of the received beam, relative to the ultrasound transducer, may be varied dynamically with time by appropriately delaying received signals from each of the transducer elements. The delayed signals from each of the transducer elements are summed to provide a scanner signal representative of a reflected energy level along a scan line. The above process is repeated for multiple scan lines to provide signals for generating an image of the prescribed region of the patient""s body. Typically, the scan pattern is a sector scan wherein the scan lines originate at a point at a center of the ultrasound transducer and are directed at different angles.
An output of the scanner 20 is applied to a scan converter 30 which converts the sector scan information generated by the scanner 20 to a conventional raster scan display. An output of the scan converter 30 is then applied to an online display 40.
As indicated by a junction 35, ultrasound data output by the scan converter 30 is stored in the form of images on an optical disc 50. The optical disc 50 is a computer medium storage which may be a magnetic optical disc, JAZZ disc, ZIP disc, etc., or, for example, a network connection. The optical disc 50 is downloaded to a workstation 60. Here, segmentation 70 is applied which involves, for example, separating in cardiac applications, tissue from blood such that a pool of blood is segmented away from tissue data. An area or volume of the blood pool is thereby, quantified using a quantification technique 80. Thus, for example, a user may view the volume of blood in the left ventricle of the heart on an offline display 90.
It is clinically desirable to measure volumes of anatomic structures such as the left ventricle of the heart from ultrasound images. It is also desirable for these measurements to be performed semi-automatically by an ultrasound quantification system. Today these measurements are performed on one or more 2D images. If a single 2D image is used, the shape of the volume is assumed in the 3D dimension resulting in an erroneous result for asymmetric shapes. If multiple images are used, the multiple images are acquired at different times and transducer positions, and are neither time synchronous nor geometrically correct. Thus, obtained results are erroneous. Furthermore, all existing multi-plane solutions are not automatic and require manual tracing of the volume measurements.
Therefore, a need exists for a system capable of acquiring acoustic image data from anatomic locations distributed in more than two dimensions and using a segmentation algorithm to provide real-time volume measurements.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an ultrasound quantification system acquiring acoustic image data from anatomic locations distributed in more than two dimensions and using a segmentation algorithm to provide real-time volume measurements.
Objects of the present invention are achieved by providing an apparatus which includes a transducer acquiring image data from an image having more than two spatial dimensions. A segmentation device segments the image data to determine volume borders of the image data. The apparatus also includes a quantification device mathematically combining the volume borders of the image data to produce volume measurements in real-time.
Objects of the present invention are achieved by providing a method which includes acquiring acoustic image data from an image having more than two spatial dimensions. The method also includes segmenting the image data to determine volume borders of the image data, and combining the volume borders mathematically, to produce volume measurements in real-time.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.